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Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter was a character in Only Fools And Horses from 1981 to 2003. He was the younger half brother of Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and son of Joan Mavis Trotter and Freddie Robdal, due to Joan having an extra marital relationship with Freddie in February 1960. Biography Backstory Rodney Charlton Trotter was born on the 2nd November 1960 at The Trotters flat, 12th floor of Nelson Mandela House to Joan Mavis Trotter and Freddie "The Frog" - Freddie Robdal through an extra marital relationship Joan had. Joan's husband Reg Trotter assumed he was Rodney's father. Freddie always suspected he was Rodney's father. Freddie died in September 1963 in a freak accident on one of his safecracking expeditions and never saw his son grow up. In March 1964, when Rodney was just 3 years old, Joan Mavis Trotter died after a long illness and Reg walked out a few months later. Rodney said he remembers his mums funeral but was too young to know why the hole in the ground at the graveyard was for. Del vowed to bring Rodney up. Also, Trigger's aunt Reenie Turpin took out any photo of Del's mum with Freddie robdal in it and burnt them, so Rodney would not know the similarities and find out the truth about his paternity. Del's friend Jumbo Mills remembered Rodney as all snot and marmite. When Rodney was 6, Del wondered why he was taller than him at 20 so had a suspicion they may have different fathers. One time Del nicked the roller skates that belonged to Rodney's friend Roy Taylor. Roy's brother caught Rodney on them and beat him up. This was because Rodney wanted a pair of skates like Roy's. Rodney graduated from Dockside Secondary Modern with a GCE in Maths and Art. He failed in the other 8 subjects. In about 1980, now aged 19, Rodney took a course at an art college in Basingstoke, Hampshire. He was only there for 3 weeks as he got expelled for sharing a Morroccan woodbine with a Chinese student. Rodney got a 2 year suspended sentence for that. By the beginning of 1981, Del agreed to make Rodney a partner in his international company, well Trotters Independent Traders. 1981-2003 1981-1983 In early 1981, Rodney started keeping accounts of the TITCO market trading company. He was told off by Del Boy when Del saw him keeping accounts. Del was worried the tax man would come snooping, seeing as their business was not legitimate. Rodney worked as Del Boy's dogsbody, humping Del's suitcase all over the markets of Peckham and being a lookout, looking for coppers patrolling the markets for unlicensed traders. In the early 1980s Rodney dated someone called Monica and then a 40 year old woman called Irene Mackay, 20 years older than him. Her husband Tommy Mackay was in prison and was a convicted thug so Del helped end the relationship for Rodneys sake, and a case of mistaken identity ended up in Del recieving a beating from Tommy. In 1983, aged 23 Rodney wanted to break free from the partnership, feeling that after 13 years of education and sixth form, 2 GCE's and a spell at an art college was was still a "market traders lookout". Del gave him some money for him to go alone. Rodney soon struggled on his own, and he appointed his brainless friend Mickey Pearce to buy some lawnmower engines. Rodney soon reformed the partnership with Del. Later that year, Rodney almost was stitched up by Roy Slater when he blackmailed Del into telling him the name of the person who nicked the microwave Del had bought. Del applied for immunity from prosecution as long as Slater let rodney and Grandad go, Del said he was the thief. A few weeks later, Rodney helped a woman out who was drunk and when he helped her to her feet, she accused him of rape. Del found out and when Rodney described the woman, Del realised he knew who the woman was, Blossom and decided to play a joke on Rodney. Blossom had accused many men of doing this and was nutty, so the police took no notice of her. Rodney ran away from home, well to the boiler room at the top of the towerblock, nicking all the tins of food from the cupboard. Del found him and explained to him and after being almost attacked by Rodney for leading him on, Del agreed to make it up but he topped up his scoth with water from the tank and Rodney said he did not fancy a shower after what he had been doing in the tank, having the last laugh. In December 1983, Rodney's dad Reg Trotter turned up. He claimed to be dying and Rodney was rather forgiving, even though Reg left him when Rodney was 5. Turned out Reg was lying and wanted money and to reclaim his position as head of the family. He was sent packing when Del found the truth. 1984-1985 In early 1984, Rodney was smart enough to know that Del had been conned after buying an oil rig for £400 when really they cost millions upon millions of pounds and weigh 100'000 tonnes. In early 1985, Rodney dated Debbie Snell. Debbie's mum June Snell had once romanced Del Boy 9 months before Debbie was born. Del then found this out and wonderd if he was Debbie's father. Rodney said Debbie was the first woman in his life who really meant something to him and it turned out to be his bloody niece. He said he even dreamt his wife would call him Uncle Rodney. June said Albie Littlewood was Debbie's father. Rodney and Debbie later split up. In February 1985, Grandad Trotter died after an illness. Dela nd Rodney were distraught but their great uncle Albert Trotter came to live with them. He was Grandad's brother. Rodney almost hit the big time that year with a band which was run by a nutter called Mental Mickey. The band was A Bunch Of Wallies. Rodney dropped out of the band but the rest ended up on Top Of The Pops. Rodney later placed a 50p bet with Mickey to take a girl to a do next week. Del thought it was £50 and set Rodney up on a date. In April 1985, Rodney and Del acquired some Louvre doors for £2000 but the architect changed his mind. Del had stolen Denzel's redundancy money to raise the cash. They found a rare butteerfly to repay all their debts but the butterfly was squashed when Denzel slapped Del's hands in glee after Del said he would give him his money back. Late that year Rodney was annoyed that Del was going to smuggle 30 diamonds into Amsterdam. Del was going to get paid £15'000. They decided to sail across the North Sea as local cops had all their airports covered. Del always wondered why Roy Slater, now a Chief Inspector knew so much about the smuggling rings. Turned out he was behind them all and took all the diamonds and money at this end off the couriers or they would go to jail for smuggling. Slater was caught in posession by his fellow colleagues and the Police Comissioner and arrested. 1986-1987 In mid 1986 Rodney befriended a girl called Anna. She was German and heavily pregnant. She wanted to adopt the baby and Del wanted to make money by selling the baby to Boycie and Marlene. Rodney was disgusted. Del said he had been conned so many times by Boycie and was getting his own back. Anna decided to keep the baby and returned to Germany. Rodney, Del and Albert ended up being held up at a supermarket one night, and after a while it transpired that the gunman Lennox Gilbey knew Del from years back and the siege was a scheme between Lennox and the store managers to get money from the safe. In October 1986, Del's old friend Jumbo Mills arrived, after 19 years in Australia. He was a millionaire now and said it was due to Del giving him £200 when he emigrated. He offered Del a partnership. They applied for visas but Rodney's one was turned down due to a drugs conviction when at college. Del decided to turn down Jumbo's offer as he could not leave Rodney and Albert. A month later, Rodney met a posh girl in the market who was selling paintings. She said her mother had some paintings at The National Gallery. The girl was Victoria. She was the daughter of The Duke Of Maylbury. Rodney did some researc and found she was not lying. They started to date, on Del's persuasion but at the opera, Del invited June Snell along and they talked and ate during the opera performance, annoying Rodney and other people in the audience. Rodney was invited to a dinner at the Duke's house. He was picked up and driven down there. Del later drove down, he claimed he was there to help Rodney make an impression. Del kept laughing and joking at the dinner, getting drunk and tapping the expensive glassware with knives to make sure they were genuine crystal. He even started telling rude jokes, embarrassing Rodney. Henry called Del outside and he said he wants Rodney out of Victoria's life now and for good. Del said money would make Rodney leave Victoria. Turned out Del knew Rodney, a working class market traders assistant did not have a hope in hell of marrying a royal person, especially as he had a drugs conviction and if he refused to leave Victoria, Special Branch would have him killed. Del's lewd nature at the opera and dinner was deliberate. Rodney had refused the money from Henry. Del was annoyed. 1987-1989 In 1989, Rodney, sick and tired of selling crap down markets and humping Del's suitcase all over London, enrolled at an evening school, with little praise from Del. Rodney met Cassandra Parry and they soon were dating, he even pretended he lived in a posh mansion. As their coats were similar, there was a mix up and she returned to the mansion where the owners said they never heard of her,. She rung his flat, of which he had given the correct phone number and spoke to Albert. She agreed to carry on seeing him but jokingly scolded him for it when threy went to dinner. Rodney had to rush off as he found out about some explosive inflatable dolls which had featured on the news, the very same ones he and Del were selling. Rodney later got involved in a jewellery consortium where the man selling the jewellery faked his death so he could get the money, and as he never gave his surname and was taken off in an "ambulance" to whatever of the 25 hospitals in London, he could not be traced. A week or so later Del started applying for every competition possible, Spot The Dog, Corn Flakes. 12 years before rodney had wrote his name on a painting of The Marble Arch At Dawn and when Del saw it he entered Rodney for the competition. They then won a trip to Marbella, but Rodney had to pretend to be 14 and Cassandra had to pose as his common law stepmother. Del enjoyed winding Rodney up and when they thought they had won £1000'000 they were told no money could be given as Rodney's name was on the ticket and he was under 18. As Del had doctored all his documents, they could not prove his real age. Rodney supported his older brother Del when he got stomach pains and ended up in hospital. Del thought it was something life threatening but it was down to too many curries and Pina Coladas. Del got better but not before Rodney announced his engagement to Cassandra. Shortly before the wedding, Del said he was owed some money and promised Rodney £2000 towards a new flat. Rodney failed his diploma but Del bribed the examiner to pass him. He then said to rodney that his future father in law Alan Parry had offered Rodney a job as a computer programmer for his printing firm. This would finally give Rodney a chance to break away from being Del's dogsbody and getting up at 4am to sell hookie gear down markets. After the wedding, Del said that he was proud of Rodney has he had it all now, a good job, nice new flat, new wife and new life. A year later, Rodney had been promoted to Head of the Computer Section. He was however jealous of Cassandra's boss Steven The Yuppie and in August 1989 Rod and Cass celebrated their first wedding anniversary. At the dinner, Steven made advances towards Cassie. A few days later Del and Rodney and all their mates went on a beano to Margate in Kent. On the beano to Margate, the coach blew up when no one was in it after Del sold the driver a dodgy car radio. There was a rail strike and the last bus back to London had gone by the time the gang arrived at the bus stop at 7:40pm. They had to spend the night in Margate. Rodney was worried that Cassandra would get lonely and invite Steven round, also seeing as Steven's wife Joanne was going away for the weekend without Steven. Rodney threatened to kill Steven if he found out he was going round to see Cassandra while he was stuck in Margate. On the return to London the following morning, Rodney returned home and saw Steven in his flat and punched him, until he saw his wife Joanne was there making coffee. Rodney was thrown out and moved back in with Del. Cracks in his marriage were starting to show. 1990-1993 In February 1990, 6 months since the beano to Margate, Rodney was back with Cassandra but there was still friction. They had another row and Rodney yet again went back to Del's flat. He started drinking heavily and often would not turn up to work due to hangovers, this was jeapordising his good job. He started drinking with his mates, and Mickey Pearce suggested Rodney ask a girl out to make Cassandra jealous. Rodney took Del's van to the local exhaust centre and asked Tanya The Kwik Fit Receptionist out on a date. Del informed Cass but Rodney said he decided to not go through with the date. Del tried to tell Cassandra but it was too late and she threw Rodney out. Rodney was mad at Del but later agreed they both mucked this up and Del took him back to the flat. Cass took a break to Spain. Del organised a honeymoon suite for Rodney and Cass upon her return to Gatwick but due to Cassandra's plane being diverted to Manchester Albert told Cass that Rodney was staying in some hotel but not that Rodney had booked it for her and him. This meant Cassandra would think Rodney was going caso with some tart. Rodney tried to ring Alan. In the end Cass somehow found out the truth. She still stayed with her parents. Rodney and Cass went for a meal and they got back but that night he was escorting one of Del's exes to the taxi and Cass drove past and saw him. She dumped him. Rodney, for the umpteenth time, went back to live with Del. He was worried that Alan would sack him over the marriage problems, seeing as Cass had seen rodney taking one of Del's flames to a taxi and she was all over him. Albert then tells Rodney his latest war story about a chief communications officer on board named Tubby Fox, who was a real party animal that got in trouble for bringing a Maltese girl onto the ship. The captain put Tubby on a charge and started court-martial proceedings. But Tubby resigned his commission, which meant the ship couldn't sail, and the captain had no choice but to refuse to accept Tubby's resignation. Once he'd done that, the court martial was deemed null and void. What Albert's trying to say is that Rodney should realise his own importance. This makes Rodney more relieved with his situation, so he thanks his uncle and goes off to bed. However, Rodney has misunderstood Albert's story, and assumes Albert is suggesting that Rodney ought to hand in his resignation, as Alan cannot afford to lose Rodney, and thus will not fire him. The next day, at Parry Print Ltd, Rodney enters Alan's office and leaves an envelope on his desk. Rodney then goes downstairs onto the shop floor. Alan enters all happy and excited, because he's got the three-year contract from a mail-order company, earning the company a fortune. Alan later accepts Rodney's resignation and has immediatey got Rodney's assistant Elvis to replace him. Del Boy is highly annoyed at Rodney for chucking his great job away. Rodney is shocked that Alan accepted his letter of resignation. Rodney is out of work and Del often teases him but is also worried saying Rodney has broken up with his wife, walked out on his lovely home, resigned from a highly paid job and pulled the chain on his career. And that is the springboard he needs for the future, sarcastically. After a brief spell as Del's roadie, sweeping up and making tea when Del hired Tony Angelino as a fellow singer for Raquel, Rodney is out of work. Del's old nemesis Roy Slater returns claiming to be changed but only came back to blackmail the Trotters so Del and Rodney sent him packing. Rodney then got a job working for Del again, and his first duty was cleaning Del's new Capri Ghia. When Del and Raquel became parents in February 1991, Rodney and Cassandra finally got back together. Their marriage was still on shaky ground and they saw a counsellor who advised the to get back together gradually, after she stopped laughing. In late 1991, Rodney was the godfather to baby Damien, even though he saw him as the devil child. Alan Parry gave Rodney a £950 golden handshake from the printing firm he used to work at. Rodney said he would take it now as he just works for Del now. Del paid the cheque in to the bank but booked a holiday, 2 non transferrable tickets, to Miami, Florida, USA knowing Cassandra was away in Eastbourne that week on a banks seminar. Del booked that week but pretended to Rodney that he had booked the tickets for him and Cassandra. Cassie said she could not make it that week and if Rodney was to still go without her, he had to either go on his own or go with someone named Trotter as the tickets were non transferrable. Could he go with Albert? No, Del Boy, of course, who had set this whole thing up. Rodney said that he was not going with Del due to Del's drunken ways and shouting things at women on holidays before. Del kept persuading Rodney to let him come, saying he has changed now, especially as he is a father now. Rodney finally agreed. In early September 1991, Del and Rodney jetted off to Miami. Rodney laid down a few ground rules, saying "No women". No bras dangling off the camper van doors. Del and Rodney went to a nightclub where they were befriended by so called businessmen. Their camper van was robbed as they had let slip their camper was parked outside. These smartly dressed "businessmen" were Rico, Salvatore, Lurch, Tony and Gino. Rico offered to put Del and Rodney up in his mansion for the week. They had a huge guest suite. During the trip, Del was almost shot at, and almost drowned on a jet ski. On the day before they were due to fly the 4000 mile journey back to England, Rodney sneakily made a phonecall when no one was looking. He rung Cassandra and said him and Del were fine. Cassie throught Rodney had booked the tickets but Rodney said Del had, Cassie said Del could not have as he knew she was in Eastbourne that week. Rodney realised Del booked that week, knowing Cassie was unable to make it, thus meaning he could get a free holiday. Rodney saw what he thought was Del Boy in the corridor. He threw his racquet down, and pinned him up against the wall, calling him a devious conniving git for conning a holiday out of Rodney. Rodney then threw him against the wall and then saw Del Boy in the guest suite, in different clothes. rodney soon realise this, as he had locked the door after his row with "Del". He realise it may be a man who looked like Del. Del went to investigate and reckoned it was Rodney's reflection in a mirror in the hallway. Rodney denied this saying he knew what he saw. Del then found photos of a man who looked just like him. Plus a huge painting of him. Del then picked up a newspaper which read "Mafia Boss On Trial" and was facing life in jail, his name was Don Ochetti and he was Del's lookalike. Del panicked and had to pretend to be Don Ochetti who 2 Columbian drug barons came to talk a drug deal with him. Del realised the 2 times he almost died was because he was the double of this Mafia Boss, and Rico, Salvatore and the others were Mafioso, not businessmen. Del and Rodney quickly escaped, even hitched a ride on a very slow car. Rodney was worried they'd get done for kerb crawling. They got into The Everglades swamp. Rico realised Del and Rodney had escaped and went after them. As they drove around, they had seen them running into the Everglades. Rodney and Del ran deep into the forest and bumped into Boycie, whose boat driver quickly drove them off back to the boat station. Del and Rodney had escaped the Mafia, and spent the night at the airport and the next day flew back to England. Back in the rainy streets of Peckham, by mid 1992, Del and Rodney hit fanancial straits, they had not bought or sold a thing for ages. Rodney and Cass were trying for a baby. In November 1992, Del organised a scheme to "discover" a spring on Grandad's old allotment. Rodney was annoyed but was too loyal to Del to grass him up. They were soon making lots of money by selling tapwater, and even fooling Myles, the millionaire organic shop seller into thinking it was from the spring. As toxic waste had been dumped in the reservoir, the scheme ended. In December 1993, Rodney and Cassie were still trying for a baby. 1994-1996 1997-2000 2001-2003 2014 Rodney is still trading as a market trader along with Del Boy as of March 2014. Paternity When the show began in 1981, Rodney may not have had suspicions that he and Del may not share the same blood father but it seems Del did, as stated in Sleepless In Peckham, that when Rodney was 6 he was taller than Del was at 20. May be a slight exaggeration Del made, maybe Rodney was rather tall for his age. And Rodney had blonde/brown hair and Del had dark hair. It was in December 1983 when Rodney first had suspicions as it seemed him and Del had different blood groups but it was a set up by their father, and Reg said Del was the mystery. Turned out it was all a con and Reg was trying to worm his way back into the household. Rodney had his first true suspicions in The Frogs Legacy (25th December 1987). Truned out a local gentleman villain called Freddie "The Frog" - Freddie Robdal had known Rodney's mum around the time Rodney was concieved and Freddie had left Joan some gold bullion in his will. Del said Freddie dated a married woman on the estate the Trotters lived at, and they may have had a son. Rodney suspected it may have been him. Albert said Rodney looked a bit like Freddie and they both shared an interest in art. Personality Memorable info *'Born': 2nd November 1960 *'Full Name': Rodney Charlton Trotter *'Parents': Freddie Robdal and Joan Mavis Trotter *'Siblings': Derek Trotter (half, same mother) *'Grandfathers': Mr Robdal, Unknown Man *'Grandmothers': Mrs Robdal, Unknown Woman *'Adoptive Grandfathers': Grandad Trotter *'Spouse': Cassandra Trotter (1989-) *'Children': Joan Trotter Jnr (2002) *'First cousins once removed': Norman *'Occupation': Market traders lookout (1981-1989), general dogsbody (1981-1989), computer technician (1989-1991), Market traders lookout (1991-1996), Millionaire Businessman (1996-2001), Market Trader (2001-present) Category:Only Fools And Horses Characters. Category:Main characters. Category:Characters first seen in 1981. Category:Characters last seen in 2014. Category:Trotter family. Category:Robdal Family. Category:Security guards. Category:Market traders. Category:Chairmen of The Tenants Association. Category:Lookouts. Category:Printing firm workers. Category:OFAH millionaires. Category:1960 births. Category:1988 marriages. Category:Rock And Chips Characters. Category:Family planner business